


American Summer

by lokiegreenarmy



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Gen, Neighbors
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-20
Updated: 2014-09-04
Packaged: 2018-02-09 16:41:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1990140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lokiegreenarmy/pseuds/lokiegreenarmy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sarah Webb is an author living in Brooklyn going about her normal life when Steve Rodgers aka Capitan America moves in next door.  They help eachother through personal tradgeys along with all the trails that come with living in the 21st century.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Moving in

**Author's Note:**

> I have had this idea for this fic in my head for about a week now so I think it was time to write it down and post it. The rating may change as I post more chapters. Please leave comments and kudos. Any constructive criticism would be useful as well. ;)

Living in New York wasn’t so bad, if you could get over the smog and the noise. The city that never sleeps, they definitely named it right. Basically if it was 2am and you wanted cupcakes there was probably somewhere selling them, that pretty much summed up New York. To be honest the city needs all the help it can get. It’s been two years since the alien invasion of New York, when the Avengers held back a horde of aliens and a god hell bent on ruling the earth. Somehow after it the whole city pulled together, literally and figuratively. Sweeping up the rubble, fixing things and being reopened less than 24 hours after it all happened. Living in Brooklyn meant that I really didn’t see much but I could see the smoke and hear the explosions. For a few short hours I felt what living in a war zone would be like.  
Afterwards nobody heard anything from the Avengers. It was like they disappeared in thin air (I’m guessing Thor did because he’s a freaking God). All was quiet in New York well until Captain America moved in next door.

***

Could it actually be any hotter? Even with all the windows open and the door that leads to the small balcony open I can’t any relief. I’m sweating in places I never knew I could sweat before. I actually think it’s warmer in the apartment than it is outside. Which is why I’m standing outside, unable to do any work because it’s so dam hot reading because that’s what I like to do when the weather is good. 

I hear noises coming from the apartment next door. It might be nice to have someone living it since the last person who lived there was carted away at five in the morning for dealing drugs. Ah, you get them all in Brooklyn and New York in general. I’m trying to peak at who might be moving in but I can’t really see anything until, I catch a circular item, like a shield, painted in red, white and blue with a white star in the centre. 

No, it can’t be? Capitan America moving into Brooklyn. I know this is where he grew up but it thought he would be off the radar especially since he helped to expose and bring down one of the world’s most prominent intelligence organizations. Things haven’t been really the same since it was revealed that S.H.I.E.L.D was actually Hydra, a top secret German science division dating back to World War II actually embedded themselves into S.H.I.E.L.D when it was founded. I don’t think anybody saw that coming. 

I ran back into the apartment for my phone to call Kim. She was going to freak out. I hit her contact as I walked back to the balcony and she answered on the second ring.  
“Hey, what’s up?”  
“I think Capitan America is moving into the apartment next door to me.”  
There was then a noise that I swear only dogs could hear.  
“OH MY GOD! You’re kidding? I have to come over. How can you tell?”  
“I think I just saw his shield through the balcony window.”  
“I should really move to New York. The freaking Avengers tower is there for God sake.”  
“Hey it’s not my fault you live in New Jersey.”  
“I know, but CAPTIAN AMERICA is living next door to you. Maybe we can actually confirm whether or not you are actually twins.”  
This was the running joke with every single person I knew. That I was basically a female version of Capitan America aka Steve Rodgers. I had the same shade of blonde fair hair, the same shade of blue for my eyes and eerily the same nose. We could actually be siblings if it wasn’t for the fact that he is actually 90+ years old (I think). 

I was still on the phone to Kim, listening to her yammering on about how I should try to ‘bump’ into him when I heard the balcony door slide open.  
“Shut up, he’s coming out.”  
“Wait. What? You have to put him on the phone, do you think you get something signed? Ask him about…”  
All her words drowned out when Capitan America well in this situation he’s actually Steve Rodgers because he’s not in the suit stepped onto the small balcony just across from me. I hung up on Kim. I knew she would kill me later but it’s not every day Capitan America moves next door. 

He’s looking around probably surveying what was once his home. It has definitely changed dramatically since he was last here. A few things spring to mind that are different since he was last here; the internet, cellphones, an infinite list of books, music and movies that he has missed since he’d been ‘asleep’. 

He turns toward me and I freeze, unable to even think what the hell to say to him. My brain is processing a million and one possibilities when he just says

“Hey, I think we’re neighbours.”

My mind goes completely and totally blank because Capitan America aka Steve Rodgers, a freaking Avenger is talking to me. All I can manage is a weak wave and a “Hey, oh my god it actually you.”

He looks puzzled, his eyebrows crossing together, as if he thought I was expecting somebody else. I realized what I just said and started

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just I never expected Capitan America to move in next door. I thought you’d be living in the Avengers tower with the rest of the gang.”

The ‘gang’ was I actually saying this? Oh god I should not be allowed around people.

He laughed and said “Stark offered but I had the chance to move back to Brooklyn so I took it. It’s always been home to me no matter how far I’ve gone.”

“That’s actually nice. I come from Jersey but I don’t think I’ll be moving back there any time soon.”  
“Yea, well Brooklyn does have a certain charm. It just gets under your skin and never let’s go.”  
“Well that’s true. I’ve been here three years and no plans to move yet.”  
“Yea, well I hope to be around here for a long time yet.”

“I’m Sarah by the way, Sarah Webb. You should know my name and well everyone knows yours. I don’t think there’s a person on the planet that doesn’t know who you are. At least if you live in New York they don’t really care who you are as long you don’t block their way.”  
“That is a major advantage when you’re, well me.”  
“I bet it is. Look if you need anything I’m home most days since that’s the nature of my job.”  
He gave me a puzzled look and enquired “What is your job?”  
“Oh, I’m a writer, I write books for a living so all I have to do is turn in manuscripts by the deadline my publisher has given me. It gets a bit more complicated when I have to promote zed literary work. That usually involves running around the country talking to people who probably haven’t even read it.”  
He laughed and said “Maybe I’ll look it up and read it some time.”

I was actually having a conversation with Capitan America about my book. Somebody pinch me or drag me away before I saw something stupid or possibly regret. 

“Well buy it from a bookstore or get it from the library because it’s important to support struggling young artists.” And there’s my queue to leave. Seriously I should not be allowed to talk to anyone even remotely famous because I will just make an ass out of myself.

“Don’t worry I will, I’m all about helping the little guy.”

Could he be any more perfect? Like seriously? It’s a win for me when I’m up before nine thirty and I can’t even talk to people even though I write for a living. Sometimes I question my existence in this world. 

“Well, I mean it, if you need any help I’ll be right here most days.”  
“Okay, thanks. I have a feeling that I might need a lot of help. Even though this was my home it’s definitely changed since I was last here.”  
“Maybe I can help with that.”  
“Maybe you can. Well I have to get back to unpacking so I’ll probably see you around.”  
He gives me a mock salute and steps back inside. I stand there, completely dumbfounded, mouth hanging wide open, amazed at myself for having a full conversation with Capitan America and not make a complete fool out of myself. Maybe this summer was going to be fun after all.


	2. Chapter 2

For some reason my writing talents are eluding me at this point in time. I am sitting at my desk, with my laptop in front of me trying to write this chapter. I know what is going to happen, I’d outlined it months ago, and this was the chapter that was going to change everything, basically throw everybody who reads it for a loop and I can’t even type a single freaking word on the screen. Agh! Writers block is so frustrating. I’m really feeling the need to punch something or scream, anything to make me write but it wasn’t happening. Maybe I should just pack up my laptop and walk it down to Starbucks and see if a bolt of inspiration will hit me there. 

I give in and grab my bag to shove my laptop in, along with my notebook when there is a knock at the door. That’s odd, I really don’t know anybody in my building, usually if anybody comes to see me I need to buzz them in. I walk up to the door and peek through the peep hole to see who it is. 

Holy crap it’s Capitan America. Why is he knocking on my door? Why am I even questioning it for God’s sake!? Actually I’ve learned to stop questioning things since Norse gods appear out of nowhere and aliens attacked New York. I take a step back and check myself in the mirror thankful that I actually made an effort to look nice today by putting on my favorite green dress and doing my hair. Why am I even doing this he probably is still pining after some girl he left during the war? He might even be attracted to me in that way. Oh my god I’m turning into a teenage girl worrying about what some guy thinks about her. Snap out of it, he’s your neighbor that’s it. I open the door and he’s standing there looking kind of awkward.

“Hey this is kind of embarrassing, as you know I just moved in and I can’t seem to get my internet working.”

Add this to the list of things that I thought would never happen: Capitan America asking me for help with his Wi-Fi. I snicker and say “Have you tried turning it off and on?”

“Yea I did but I just can’t connect my computer to it.”

“Do you want me to come have a look at it?”

“Could you? I’ve tried fixing it myself but every time I look at it it’s basically like looking at another language.” 

“Just let me save my work and I’ll be right over.”

“Okay, well you know where I am.”

He walked back into his own apartment. I ran over to my laptop to save what little work I had done over the past three hours. My heart is pounding, I can feel it in my ears. Okay, calm down, you’re just helping a neighbor with their Wi-Fi. It’s just a coincidence that zed neighbor happens to be Capitan America. I smoothed out my dress and made my way over to his place.

I stepped out into the hallway closing my own door behind me and took the few steps over to his place. His door was open but I knocked anyway because I’m not an animal.

“Hey, so where’s your computer?”

He gestured over to the breakfast bar where a very sleek looking, black laptop was sitting. It looked like it was top of the line, probably curtsey of Tony Stark and it was running Windows 8. Seriously? I thought Stark would have designed his own operating system. At least it was familiar and I knew where to look to see where the problem was. It didn’t take a genius to figure out this one.

“Do you have a password for your internet?”

He looked at me confused and said “What? You need a password? I thought it was there and you automatically connected to it.”

“If you’re on an open-source network then yes you don’t need a password but if you’re using a private one like where you live for instance then it pays to have it secure. I don’t think you want some random person in the building using your internet to illegally download music and movies.”

He conceded “Okay I guess you’re right. So, where it the password then?”

“It should be on your router, you know the little box that projects the signal?” I looked around and saw that it was actually arms reach from where his laptop was sitting. I checked the back of it to see if there was a card and sure enough there was. After that I just entered the password on it into his laptop and it connected. I also made sure that it would connected automatically any time it was turned on. “That should be it now.” I glanced around the apartment. It was spacious, a major advantage of living in Brooklyn was that you get a decent sized apartment for the same price that a shoebox wouls cost you in the city. It was sparsely decorated, boxes were stacked everywhere but there was one thing that seemed to take pride and place in the entire apartment. I gestured towards it and said “Nice record player.”

“Oh, thanks. All my music from before is vinyl but I have heard of these things called iPods that can store thousands of songs one little thing but I prefer the sound of vinyl records.”

“You’re right. Nothing beats getting a record, blowing the dust off it, putting it on and listening to the noise it makes just before it’s about to play. I don’t think anything could top that.”

“I didn’t think they made vinyl any more since everything is digital?”

“It was going downhill but it’s become popular again, bands like Mumford, Paramore, Coldplay and Foo Fighters releasing their new albums on it and also re-issues plus the players you can get now can link up to a computer so you can it on your phone or iPod.”

“Well at least that’s one thing that hasn’t changed much since I woke up.”

“It must have been a shock, waking up I mean. One minute you’re fighting Nazis in World War II and the next you’re in the twenty first century dealing with well all of this.”

“Well, it wasn’t so bad actually, the food’s better, vaccines, the internet been using that a lot to catch up on everything.”

“Don’t believe everything you read on Wikipedia. Anyone can go on and change it so it’s not the most reliable source of information.”

He took out a little notebook and said “I’ll add that to the list ‘do not trust Wikipedia’”.

“You have a list?”

“Yea it’s the only way I can keep track of what I’ve missed.”

“What books do you have on it?”

“A few. Mostly history books, biographies, a few of the big series like Harry Potter and The Hunger Games. I’m working my way through everything post 1945.”

“I would not have got through high school without Harry Potter, I wouldn’t be a writer if I hadn’t read those books. I remember being in a bookstore, seeing them for the first time and begging my Dad to get me them. He said that he would only get me them if we read them together so that was my childhood, reading the books as soon as they came out with my Dad and then going to see the movies as soon as they were released…” I could feel a lump develop in my throat. It was still hard to talk about him, even after two years. 

“Sounds like they were a pretty important part of your life.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. I was determined not to cry in front of Capitan America. “They were. I would be the person that I am today if it wasn’t for those books. I know it seems like a bit of a cliché but it’s true and I’m not alone. There are millions of people around the world who feel the same way. That’s what I call magic, all books are a combination of twenty six letters but somehow they make us feel emotions that you wouldn’t feel anywhere else. They give you the strength and courage to do things that you wouldn’t normally do. Sorry I’m rambling, when somebody starts talking about Harry Potter or books in general I tend to go off on one.”

“Don’t ever apologize for talking about something you’re passionate about. I know it may not be manly but I like to draw. It helps me work out stuff in my head and gain a better understanding of the world that I live in now.”

I couldn’t help but smile at him. He was like a freaking ball of sunshine that made everyone around him want to be a better person. I think I need to leave before I decide to join the Peace Core or something like that. 

“Well I should probably get back to work. My book is definitely not going to write itself even though I wish it would because writers block is one of the worst things ever and I don’t think I could ever wish it on my worst enemy.”

“Well thanks for helping me with my internet actually I was wanting to ask you this anyway. I’m having little get together, a house warming if you’d like, a few of my friends are coming for drinks and food. You should come.”

I really need to pinch myself right now because did Capitan America really just invite me to his party?

“Sure, maybe I’ll make something, like patriotic cupcakes.” I smiled at the thought of me making red, white and blue cupcakes. I don’t think you could get any more American.

“That sounds great, my friends will definitely get a kick out of that. It’s Friday, any time after nine.”

“Okay I’ll see you then I guess.” I made my way out the door before I could say anything more stupid. 

Once I got back to my own place I realized that I’m going to Capitan America no Steve Rodgers party. Kim was going to have an aneurysm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I now have an idea of where I'm going to take this. I don't know how long it's going take but now know where to go so to speak. Please kudos and comments!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is sort of an inner monlouge. It's way for me and you to get to know a little bit more about the character and their movations.

It’s dark, but not the kind of dark where you can see the outline of objects in a room. It’s an inky black, I was drowning in it. I couldn’t breathe. Soon it began to fade, giving away to a pale blue light. I could barely make out where the light was coming from. It looked like it was coming from a staff of some kind. As I got closer I could see the object better. It was gold on the handle and on top it looked like there was a sliver dagger or two maybe. It looked like there was a larger one on top and a smaller one on the bottom. In between them was what was emitting the pale blue light. I reached out to lift it but my hand kept on slipping through, like it was a hologram. Every single time I got frustrated that I couldn’t hold it even though I had no idea what it could do I was just drawn to it somehow. It was like it was reaching out to me, willing me to find it and realize its full potential. 

I jolted awake. I was back in my Brooklyn apartment, in bed, shivering despite the sticky heat. My heart was pounding. I told myself to take deep breaths and somehow my body obeyed. 

Why was I having these dreams? They had to mean something, I just couldn’t figure out what. I felt like if my Dad was around maybe I could talk to him about them, maybe he would’ve knew what they meant and helped in some way. A lump formed in my throat at the thought. Even though it had been nearly two years since I lost him it still felt like yesterday, the pain still felt as raw as the moment I was told that he wasn’t coming home, that I was essentially an orphan. I had already lost my Mom so all I had for a family was my Dad, all we had was each other. When he died and I know this seems like a bit a cliché but its true, a part of me died with him. The part of me that reveled in new discoveries, or that let him ramble on when he was trying to figure something out. Every time I thought about him I get this ache in my chest, like there’s a gaping hole that can never be filled. Even though the pieces are slowing forming to repair it I still get nights like this. Where the emptiness hits me in a wave and I feel like I’m going to drown. Sometimes I let myself wallow in it, l let myself feel this way because I need to feel it. I need to remind myself that I can’t just pick up the phone to talk to him or meet up with him for lunch because he’s gone. 

These dreams or maybe I should call them nightmares aren’t helping. Every time I have one I can’t function. I try going back to sleep but every time I close my eyes the images haunt me, teasing me and I’m no closer to finding out what they actually mean. Maybe they’re connected to my Dad but I don’t really know. Anyone who could tell me what they actually mean are probably dead or in hiding since S.H.I.E.L.D turned out to be HYDRA in disguise. 

Even though my Dad worked for them whatever he knew died with him. Even though was only an engineer he was one of the best. That was why they asked him to go on the helicarrier, because if something went wrong he would be able to fix it. Something did go wrong and it cost my Dad his life. I still don’t know what happened that day. Before I knew it New York was under attack by aliens. I kept on trying to call him knowing that S.H.I.E.L.D was probably involved but I couldn’t get through to him. I was frantic, calling every contact I had in S.H.I.E.L.D, trying to find something. Finally, three days after what they dubbed The Battle of New York an agent came to my door and broke the news. There had been an explosion on the helicarrier and my Dad fell from the gaping hole that was left behind. That’s probably the worst part, there wasn’t even a body to bury, I couldn’t even say goodbye to him. There was memorial services but it wasn’t enough. People coming up to me saying that they were sorry for my loss when all I wanted to do was to be left alone to wallow in my sadness. I needed to say goodbye to him properly in order to move on with my life. When my Mom died we were able to bury her, I was able to say goodbye and that’s what probably helped me move on. Having a funeral gave me closure, it meant I could that chapter in my life and start a new one but with my Dad I feel like have writer block. I can’t move on without knowing what happened to him that day.   
There’s really only one person who could even begin help me and that’s Phil Coulson. He and my Dad basically grew up together, joined S.H.I.E.L.D at the exact same time and rose through the ranks together. It only seemed fitting that they both died on the same day and in the same place. Everybody said that one day Phil was going to run operations and my Dad was going to run the science side. Best friends from childhood running one of the biggest intelligence organizations in the world together. When that was a possibility the world seem like a safer place but now I feel like everything they worked for was in vain. Every time S.H.I.E.L.D or HYDRA comes up on the news I have to turn it over because I feel like it’s tarnishing their memory and hard work. That was definitely one thing I was glad of when HYDRA came out was that my Dad wasn’t around to see it. I can take heart in knowing that he died thinking that he was part of something that was doing some good in the world even though it really wasn’t. 

I feel like I’m fighting a war within myself with these dreams, it’s like my subconscious is trying to tell me something but I don’t have enough pieces to put the puzzle together. Even with the information dump that happen when S.H.I.E.L.D was revealed to actually be HYDRA didn’t really bring any light to the situation. A lot of it was in code and embedded, you need to be an expert in technical analysis to even start going through it. I’ve heard that they haven’t even gone through a fifth of all the information. Some of it has already been pulled. My guess that it was deemed too sensitive for public consumption. That information could be key to finding out what really happened to my Dad because I’m not that sure that he just fell from the helicarrier. I can’t explain it, I just have this feeling in my gut that something isn’t right about how they told me my Dad died. If I don’t find out soon I think I might go crazy.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea why this took me so long to write but here it is anyway. I don't have a beta so any mistakes are mine but if you want to be my beta then just leave a comment and I'll try to figure it out. Please leave comments and kudos. Thanks for reading!

So, todays the day of Steve’s ‘get together’ or maybe should I say housewarming because he only moved in last week. I managed to get over my writers block the day he came to my door asking for help with his Wi-Fi. I still can’t actually believe that that happened. I called Kim after and she went ballistic. 

I told her about helping Steve with his internet she basically launched into an entire plan, with a lot of detail which meant that she had been planning this for quite a while. Which didn’t entirely surprise me. When they first found him in the ice she kept on pestering to see if she could get in to see him since my Dad worked for S.H.I.E.L.D. I told her that it wasn’t my Dad’s division plus all of that was top secret anyway. I knew that Phil had seen him because it was all he would talk about for weeks.   
I basically told her that he probably isn’t looking for a relationship right now and plus why he would date basically a female version of himself. If it wasn’t for the fact that I’m only five foot three and skinny I would basically look like him. I probably do look like him pre-serum, well from the pictures that I have seen of him. I told that I’m not looking for a relationship right now anyway. I need to sort myself out before I can even let someone else inside my head. I reasoned with her and said that I would try to be friends with him because he’s probably in the same boat except for being frozen for seventy years, waking up to world that’s completely different to the one you left, also fighting Norse Gods and aliens in New York and also finding out that the organization that you fought to destroy is alive and kicking, also your best friend since you were a kid actually isn’t dead but was actually turned into a weapon for zed organization. I think it’s a miracle that he’s still functioning. It makes all of my problems seem very pale in comparison. 

The party should be interesting though. I wonder what type of friends Captain America has? I know that he’s probably friends with the Avengers but I wonder if there is anybody outside of that. Either way it should be something as my Mom would say ‘to write home about’. 

I’ve decided on wearing a blue skater skirt dress with thin white stripes running horizontal on it and I’m wearing my tan sort of flip flop sandals because anything else and my feet will sweat like there is no tomorrow. I finish off the look with some liquid liner which I’m surprised even went on straight since I’ve haven’t done it in a while. I twisted my hair into a top knot because all it seems to do in this heat is stick to my neck with sweat which is not pretty in any situation. 

I reach the door and I see people from around the building milling around. Obviously greedy to get a glimpse into Captain America’s life. Mrs. O’Neill from 5A is here. She’s like a grandmother to all of us and also she makes the best apple pies. The Hopewells are here as well with their red headed brat who is always on a mission to touch absolutely everything he sees. I hope Steve has put his shield somewhere safe or else his muddy paw prints are going to be all over it. 

I then see someone who I haven’t seen in a long time, in fact I haven’t seen him since my Dad died. Barton or Clint or Hawkeye whatever he seems to be calling himself these days I tend to lose track. He’s been off the radar since the alien invasion. I only know him because when he first joined S.H.I.E.L.D my Dad was one of the people who designed and made his bow and arrow set. Dad spent weeks adding as many attachments and components for any situation that Clint might find himself in. Well, at least he’s living up to his name. He’s sitting perched on a kitchen counter which probably gives him a good spot to see the whole room. He never takes a day off does he? 

“Hey Clint get down from there you’re not an actual bird the last time I checked and this isn’t your place.”

He turns to face me and his mouth actually hand open. (I thought people only did that in movies). I think I was the last person he expected to see tonight. Clint is sort of the big brother I never asked for. Well he did teach me how to defend myself in case some guy got handsy. 

“A little birdie told me you ended up in Brooklyn.”

“All you need to do is a Google search and you can find where I live. I’m sure you’re bird brain could handle that.”

“Are we doing the bird jokes again? Maybe I could pull out some ones about you looking like a girly version of Cap over here.”

I playfully hit his arm. “You wouldn’t dare. I can just about handle you humor sometimes never mind somebody who hardly been exposed to it.”

And with that Steve walked over. “I see that I don’t need to introduce you two?”

“We’re practically related anyway so I don’t see any need to.”

“So how do you two know each other?”

“My Dad worked for S.H.I.E.L.D when they ‘recruited’ Clint here and basically made all the toys that he now uses.”

Clint pipes up “Hey he didn’t make all of them. What about my boomerang arrow?”

“Are you forgetting that my Dad was the only one who could actually make it work because what you know about physics could fill a shot glass?”  
“Okay you’ve got a point. I’m to get some food before I get attacked. Nice seein ya kid.”

He basically stalks away and I’m feeling really proud of myself because I haven’t been able to do that in a long time. 

Steve interjects and says “The only time I’ve seen him like that is when he’s arguing with Natasha.”

“I don’t think he would dare to get on the wrong side of her. She could kill him a thousand different and nobody would ever know about it.”

“I think quite a few people can testify to that. I definitely wouldn’t mess with her when she’s in a bad mood.”

“In general I just don’t mess with people in a bad mood, especially people who could kill you and get rid of all the evidence.”

“Well she’s certainly not the worst person I’ve made friends with. Hey, I looked up your books. You didn’t tell me that they were set in London during World War II.”

Oh, shit. I really don’t want to have to explain that it was originally a Captain America fan fiction that my English lit professor encouraged me to tweak so I could get it published. But, I try to play it cool. 

“Yeah well, not many people think I’m obsessed with history because it’s stereotypically an old man’s game so to speak so I tend to keep quiet about it but since you woke up everyone seemed to be interested in the forties so it sort of came from that as well.”

“Well, I’m only half way through the first one and I can tell you that you’ve nailed it and that’s coming from someone who has first-hand experience.”

“Um, thanks, I think. You’re one of the few people to actually notice that. Do have any idea how much research I had to do to make sure it was right. I think I actually lost sleep over it.”

And that’s how we spend the rest of the evening. Me grilling him about being posted to London and growing up during the depression. The guy is a walking history book. He then grills me about what movies he should watch. I tell him that he has to watch Disney animations movies like The Lion King and Aladdin since he’s an artist. All the classics; The Godfather, Good Will Hunting, Dead Poets Society, Good Morning Vietnam, The Green Mile, Shawshanks Redemption, plus a few Audrey Hepburn movies for good measure. Then the epics like Star Wars, I tell him the order you have to watch them in and also the epic of all epics the Lord of the Rings. I think his eyes may have popped out of his head when I told him the collective time of all three movies, including the extended editions. It occurs to me during the entire conversation that Steve is one of the easiest people that I have ever talked to and that hopefully we could be friends. That would be sweet, wouldn’t it?


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a very Clint-centric chapter. I've been reading the Hawkeye comics and I love him so much. Again please leave comments and kudos!!

I didn’t get back from the party until after two. I think I just about managed to the usual and then crawl into bed. Sleep came quickly for once but was interrupted by my phone going off at five. With my head still buried in my pillow and I reach over to answer it having a vague idea of who it is. 

“Kim, if you’re ringing me because you agreed to do the graveyard shift and now you’re bored because you have nothing to better to do then you have another thing coming…”

“That’s a great way to answer the phone to one of your friends.”

Clint. I swear to God the man knows how to pick his moments for example calling me at five in the morning when he knows I'll probably be asleep.

“Fucking hell Clint you’re one hell of a wake-up call and how the hell did you get my number?”

“I’m a trained spy. I can find out what you scored on your SATS if I wanted to.”

“It doesn’t mean that you can call me when no normal human being would be awake.”

“What can I say? I’m an early bird.”

“Ha-ha, very funny with the bird jokes. So is there a reason why you’re calling because you’re beginning to really piss me off.”

“Actually there is. I’m on the roof of your building.”

“Wait did you go home or did you just hang out around here all night?”

“If you come up to the roof maybe I’ll tell you.”

“I actually forgot how annoying you can be. You better have coffee or else I’m not even moving out of my bed.”

“Of course I have coffee, I’m not an animal.”

“Fine, give me five minutes to get dressed.”

“See you soon.” He hangs up. Agh! He is definitely the puppy I asked for Christmas one year but instead got an annoying brother. 

I crawl out of bed cursing him as I throw on a pair of jeans and the first shirt I grab from my closet. I make my way over to my bedroom window which leads out to the fire escape which goes to the roof. He certainly knows how to pick his meeting stops. I climb the rickety stairs praying that they don’t collapse under me. I suddenly have visions of me hanging from the edge of the building and then plummeting to my death. Curse my over active imagination. So far it’s served me well but it will lead to my downfall one day. 

I reach the roof and there he is the little shit. Standing with Starbucks, with a smug look on his face knowing that he has got me out of bed at five in the morning. I could really punch the smug look off his face. I clamber over the edge to stand next him. He looks like he’s about to say something but I interrupt him…

“Not even two words until I get my coffee.”

He wordlessly hands me a Starbucks. I open the lid to take a whiff. Caramel latte. Well at least he remembers my coffee order. I take a sip, savoring the sweet taste mixed in with the bitterness. Once I let the caffeinated goodness work its way through my veins I turn to Clint and ask him

“Okay, why are you on the roof of my building at five in the morning?”

He makes a face as if I offended him “Do I need a reason to see an old friend?” 

“You do when you ring them this early and get them out of bed. Now spill before I decide to go back to bed.”

“Is it wrong that I want to maybe reconnect with an old friend?”

“I haven’t heard from you in nearly two years and then you turn up out of the blue so forgive me for being just a little bit suspicious.” 

I swear to God trying to get the truth out of a spy is like trying to recite all the digits of pi. It’s God dam impossible. All my usual tactics won’t work because between him and Nat they taught me everything I know about how to get information from people without them even knowing it. 

“Please just be honest with me, I at least deserve that after everything.”

“Fucking hell kid, you still know how to put on a guilt trip. I should’ve have seen this coming.”

He puts his head in his hands and takes a deep breath. As if he’s preparing himself to lay down some hard truths or something like that.

“Okay. I’ll tell you but you have to promise not to tell anyone.”

“Please who can I tell?”

His raises an eyebrow at me “How about your numerous followers that hang off your every word?”

“Do I need to take an oath or something like that? Fine. I Sarah Webb do solemnly swear not to tell anyone what Clint Barton is about to tell me. Now spill.” I even put my hand on a heart. I feel I’m back in school reciting the pledge of allegiance. “This better be good.”

“Oh believe me it is. I probably shouldn’t be telling you any of this but it’s probably public knowledge anyway and I know your word’s good since you probably know a good bit from your Dad. I’m guessing you about the whole HYDRA thing? We always knew that a faction of them still existed, out there somewhere. We’d been trying for a long time to finally get rid of them. Gong all over the world taking out small splinter groups, taking them apart piece by piece until two months ago they came out of the shadows. I was undercover, trying to find a faction that was rumored to be experimenting on unwilling subjects. It took me a year and a half just to find out where they were based, another two months to work my way in only to find out that they’d been in S.H.I.E.L.D the entire time. I barely made it out alive, Nat found me, passed out somewhere in Ukraine and somehow got me back here. When I was well enough she asked me to keep an eye on Steve. I think she’s afraid that he might do something stupid given that his whole reason for sticking around is nothing but a pile of rubble infested with snakes. Anyway that’s my side, what have you been doing in the last couple of years?”

I’m speechless. How do you even respond to all that? I just stare at him with my mouth hanging open like a fish. All I’ve been doing the past two years is trying to get over losing Dad and then using writing as a way to cope. I don’t know what’s annoying me more, the fact that’s he’s dropped this on me or that’s he so flippant about it.

“Earth to Sarah, are you still here or have you retreated into some fictional world?”

I take a deep breath, I somehow manage to put my brain into gear and connect it to my mouth.  
“No, I’m still here, I just have no idea what to say to all, um, that. You really know how to lay it all out don’t you?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if you were pissed off. The organization that your Dad gave his life to was actually something none of us could even imagine. I thought that I was going straight working for S.H.I.E.L.D but I was just working for a whole new level of evil.”

“I am pissed off but not for myself. For you, Nat and my Dad, for everyone who wasn’t HYDRA, for everyone who thought that they were doing good, that they were helping to change the world for the better but in the end it didn’t even make a slight bit of difference. I can’t imagine anything worse, having everything you ever believed in ripped out from under you, finding out that it was all lies just to get you on their side.”

Clint looks at me and says “Damn, you’re actually right and there I was standing here feeling sorry for myself.”

“You always feel sorry for yourself, it’s kind of your prerogative.”

“I know but I think you made me feel less shitty about the entire situation. At least they’re out in the open now, it might make it easier to take them down.”

I finish the last dregs of my coffee and say “I do not envy you on that front pal so how long are you going to be here for?”

“Hopefully for a while yet, I’m tired of going to places where I don’t know anybody and worrying about who is going to kill me. If anybody wants me, they can come for me in my own back yard.”

“You are a piece of work you that. Katniss Everdeen’s got nothing on you.”

He bumps my shoulder “You are the only person in the world to call me that, can I just ask why?”

“You have kick ass archery skills and you also need a hearing aid. I trust you’ve read Catching Fire?”

He pouts, “Well it’s better than being called Legolas. Like seriously, do I look like an elf to you?”

“Maybe a very tiny elf.”

“Sometimes I wonder why I even know you.”

“I needed someone to teach me about weapons and you were there thus the start of our beautiful friendship.”

"Nat could probably teach you as much about that than I can."

"Well I met you first so get over it."

I look out over the New York skyline, the Stark tower standing out against the grey or the ‘Avengers’ tower as everyone seemed to be calling it since the Battle of New York. The world has changed so much it’s hard to know where you fit in. At least I can call someone like Clint a friend.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is long one to make up for the fact that I haven't posted in nearly two weeks. Enjoy!

I could actually kill Clint right now. It is currently two in the afternoon and I’m falling asleep because he woke me at five in the morning after me only getting to sleep two hours before that. After he left I couldn’t get back to sleep. It could have been the fact that I just had coffee or that he possibly dropped a bomb on me (figuratively). 

So to recap a part of S.H.I.E.L.D knew that Hydra was still out there and they were trying to take them out only to discover that Hydra had been leeching of S.H.I.E.L.D since the very beginning. They didn’t stand a chance. Hydra had seventy plus years to perfect everything, to gain supporters and put all their pieces into position. Somebody had to have suspected before now? How can a Nazi science division grow inside one of the worlds’ most revered intelligence agency? All of these questions had been spinning in my head since Clint left. Somebody was bound to have come across something that led to all this and then when they tried to uncover it they paid with their lives. I wonder how many people have been killed or ‘disappeared’ just because they got too close to unveiling Hydras secrets. What does this all mean for someone like me? Someone who lost their wife, husband, mother, and father etc. while they were working for S.H.I.E.L.D? Could something or someone else be responsible? 

I never bought that what happened to my Dad was an accident that couldn’t be avoided. My Dad was such a stickler for safety. Every single time I was in the car with him he wouldn’t even move until I had my seatbelt on. There is no way in hell that he just ‘fell’ from that helicarrier. He was one of the best at what he did and there’s no way one of the best lets accidents like that happen. If he was anywhere near the deck or the engines he would’ve have been wearing a parachute. I remember him at home, on the phone arguing with one of the guys from operations that having the crew wear parachutes when they were near the engines or on deck would be a logistical nightmare. In the end my Dad won that argument because he cited some obscure health and safety rule in the S.H.I.E.L.D handbook

I’m just so frustrated right now. Usually I would write. I would compartmentalize so I could try and figure it out or maybe reality would get to be too much and I would escape into a world of my own creation but now, I can’t. There’s just too much going on inside my head to even put it down a piece of paper. My brain is going through all the possibilities at a million miles an hour. Sometimes I hate being so imaginative, it leads to me overthinking very single little detail until there is nothing left for me to pick over. It can be a blessing and a curse. 

What I need to do right now is put it out of my mind, focus on something else, anything to stop my mind going into overdrive coming up with crazy theories. I usually leave that for when I’m watching Doctor Who or Sherlock. I actually think I’m going stir crazy. Clint is so dead the next time I see him, which is if I see him again. The last time he disappeared I didn’t see him again for nearly two years, until last night and then this morning. The guy surely knows how to make an entrance after an extended period of radio silence. Since he left I’ve been a restless ball of energy, pacing my apartment, my nails would be bitten to the nubs if they weren’t painted. I need to get out of here, now, or else I’m going to drive myself crazy. 

Maybe I should go get some food. There’s a really nice café at the foot of the Avengers tower that serves the best pancakes in the city and it’s only nine. The subway should be fairly empty since everyone is at work (major advantage of working from home, no rush hour). Why not? If I bring my notebook it might give me chance to work through the chapter that is currently slaying me. Whoever said writing was easy has obviously never written anything. 

I make up my mind to go since I am going just a little bit stir crazy and it’s taking every ounce of my energy not to punch something i.e. a wall. I grab my things and head out the door with the hope that maybe this will all make sense.   
***  
Somehow I managed to get a seat by the window and in the shade. I am currently digging into a stack of pancakes covered in fruit and maple syrup. Food just makes everything better. If it wasn’t for my determination streak I think I would’ve ended up in Hufflepuff rather than Slytherin because those guys love their food. 

I go slowly through everything Clint told me in my head while eating. I’m afraid to even write it down because then that makes it real, that it all actually happened and it’s some twisted dream that I’ve yet to wake up from. 

Logically it does make sense that Hydra was still out there. They probably need a public front like every organization does but to have that and be inside of S.H.I.E.L.D it just doesn’t make much sense. None of anything that has happened in the past few months has made any sense. The whole entire idea that Hydra still exists sort of terrifies me.

All I can think of is what if my Dad somehow knew? I don’t think there is anyway of being in S.H.I.E.L.D for as long as he had been and not even have an inkling of what was really going on. In saying that there was a lot of people who didn’t really know what was actually going on. I thank God that Phil isn’t alive to see all this. It would actually break his heart. He embodied S.H.I.E.L.D more than anybody I have ever met. I can still remember how excited he was when they found Cap buried in the ice. He was literally like a kid on Christmas morning, he wouldn’t stop bouncing around and spewing Captain America trivia any chance he got. 

He was one of the good guys at S.H.I.E.L.D and there has to be more, there just has to be. 

An ‘ahh’ brings me back to the present. It looks like Iron Man is taking out his newest suit for a test drive. Actually it’s the main reason why a lot of people come here. It seems like in the past two year ‘the chance to see an Avenger’ has been added to the list of cheesy things that tourists do when they come to New York. 

“Stark’s still showing off any chance he gets I see.”

I look to my left and see that Steve Rodgers is standing beside me. The guy is a freaking Adonis. I’m having a hard time trying not to drool around him. 

“Well some things never change, Tony Stark being one of them I think. I thought you two were supposed to be friends?”

“I tolerate him most days, others I feel like throwing him through a wall, without the suit.”

“So basically just like high school then?”

“If that’s what high is like now days then yes. Do you mind if I sit with you?” he said pointing to the empty seat opposite me. 

“Sure, no problem.” I really need to pinch myself right now because is this really happening? 

“So, how do you know Barton?”

I raised an eyebrow at him “You don’t mess around do you? Anything Clint has told you is probably made up so here’s the truth. My Dad worked for S.H.I.E.L.D, more specifically their research and development department. When Clint joined he worked with my Dad to design the bow and arrow set that he uses to this day. All of the gizmos and attachments are curtsey of my Dad. I used to hang around his office after school and that was when I met him. Turned out us both had a tragic past with a dash of sarcastic wit added in for good measure. Even though there was quite an age gap between us we became friends and the rest they say is history.”

“What happened to your Dad?”

“Would you believe me if I said it’s complicated because it really is. According to S.H.I.E.L.D records he died as result of the explosion on the helicarrier before the Battle of New York. It’s kind of hard to believe right now given everything that has come out about S.H.I.E.L.D and Hydra.”

“Would you believe me when I say you’re probably not the only one that feels that way?”

“You, me and anybody who gave their lives in the hope that they were helping to build something better.”

“Is that what you believe?”

I took a deep breath, trying to dislodge the lump that had formed in my throat 

“It’s what my Dad believed in and sometimes that’s all I have to hold on to. That he believed that he was helping to change the world for the better that they all were. I just hope that there are still people out there like my Dad who want to build a better future because god knows we need them right now.”

“You should write that down.”

“I already have in one of my many notebooks, I think. I always carry one with me since you never know where inspiration can strike.”

“My notebook is just for keeping track of what I need to catch up on and maybe some drawings every now and then.”

“I’ve seen your drawings. The Smithsonian did a tour of your exhibition and it stopped in New York. They had some of your drawings. They were beautiful, you could feel the emotion…”

I was interrupted by my phone vibrating very loudly on the table. If it’s Clint again I swear to god he can me to his list of problems. Looking at my phone I realize that it’s Kim. Okay that’s weird, usually she texts me unless something happened. I answered, panic creeping into my veins like ice.

“Hello?”

“Sarah, where are you?”

“I’m in the café next to the Avengers tower, why?”

“Something’s happened, I can’t tell you what or who yet but just stay where you are. Are you with anybody?”

This was getting more cryptic by the second.

“Yeah, Steve is here. Kim what’s going on you’re scaring me.”

“Like I told you, I can’t tell you yet. Just stay where you are and I’ll come to you. Don’t move.”

She then hung up. Now I was really starting to panic.

Steve eyed with a worried look on his face “Is everything okay?”

“Yes, no, I don’t know. That was the strangest conversation I’ve ever had with Kim. I think you should stay until Kim gets here. She sounded strange, it was her but not her if you know what I mean.”

“I do know what you mean and yes I’ll stay.”

“Thanks. Well this is turning into one of my stranger days.”

“You’ve had things stranger than your friend calling you out of the blue?”

“My Dad was an engineer, at S.H.I.E.L.D no less. I don’t think strange even begins to cover it.”

“Tell me about it.”

“Are you trying to take my mind off the fact that my best friend since high school just called and was very cryptic to the point that I’m shaking?”

“Yes and also I think I could beat you on strange days.”

“Okay you’re on.”

And so I launch into my childhood stories, telling him about the times my Dad brought home strange things to try out and my Mom going mad because he was leaving stuff all over the place while in the back of my mind I worried about what Kim had said to me. I just hoped that it was her just being her dramatic self but something was telling me that this was more serious and it was that part of me that patiently waited for her to come.


End file.
